For Science
by Reader101w
Summary: My contest entry for Whitem's MMP challenge. Ron is set upon a task that might prove very difficult.
1. The Task

This is my entry for _Whitem_'s MMP challenge. I hope you enjoy.

******Disclaimer:** Kim Possible and related are the property of Disney which, contrary to common belief, I do not own.

Special thanks to _Slipgate_ for beta-reading.

* * *

**For Science**

**Chapter 1: The task**

"I got here as fast as I could," Ron managed to say between breaths. "What's the issue? Did Monkey Fist turn back? Is another ancient threat trying to destroy Yamanouchi?"

Sensei nodded appreciatively. "You made excellent time getting up the mountain. I hope my call didn't impact on your vacation."

"That's okay, it's actually just an extended mission. KP might not even notice how long I've been away." Ron started looking around nervously again. "But what's the urgent issue."

"There is no urgent issue," the master of the Yamanouchi school said. "I merely wanted to use the opportunity to talk to you face to face while you were close by."

Ron looked devastated. "But I just ran up the entire mountain… Wait, is this some kind of test?"

"A test, this is not. However, you will soon have to face a test, and that is why I needed to talk to you." Sensei gestured Ron to follow. "Come, I have to explain your next step as the new monkey master."

* * *

"Ron?" Kim asked drowsily. "Where have you been the past…" she looked at the clock in their hotel room. "…Six hours?"

"I ehm… Sensei had an urgent errand," Ron explained.

"And here I thought I dreamed that conversation you had in the bathroom." The redhead sank her head back on the cushion. "Night." She was back asleep moments later.

Ron was glad that his girlfriend hadn't made a big deal out of it, but she probably would when she was more awake the next morning.

However, Ron couldn't catch his sleep so easy after he got into his own bed, slightly annoying Rufus, who had been pretty comfortable alone in the king-size bed. Sensei's words still rang soundly in his ears.

* * *

"You have to learn the loss of your power," Sensei said after he and Ron had gotten into a more private building.

Ron shrugged. "Except for my power burst during the Lowardian invasion I didn't have to use it that much. I think I can handle it."

"You have gotten more attuned to the monkey powers than you may think," Sensei remarked. "However, what is more important is that you will have to find a trustworthy carrier for the power for the time that you will not have it."

Ron smiled. "No problemo…"

"But it cannot be Possible-san, or someone else you have a close bond with," the Yamanouchi headmaster warned. "The power needs to be completely away from your reach, only to be given back after one month."

"Okay…" Ron frowned. "But what if whoever I give the power to decides they like it?"

"Then the power will be lost forever, and the one who will not return the power will follow Monkey Fist's path."

Ron gulped. "Okay, remind me to warn them about that."

"You cannot warn them," Sensei said sternly. "They must return the power on their own accord, without any force from you or anyone else. That is the reason you have to find someone who is trustworthy enough to carry and return the power."

"Okay… I'll see if I can find such a person," Ron responded meekly.

Sensei nodded. "You have three days."

"THREE DAYS?" Ron cried out. "How can I do something like this in three days?"

"You are the monkey master," Sensei merely responded. "All those before you managed this feat. I have faith in you, Stoppable-san. Now you better be on your way. And remember, you cannot tell anyone about this, not even Possible-san."

* * *

"You went away without telling me, got home more than six hours later, and you expect me not to ask questions?" Kim asked as she dove at Ron, her punch barely missing his head as he rolled away.

"You've got to understand," Ron tried to explain as he backpedaled away from his girlfriend while she turned around to strike at him again, "this is ninja stuff, and they're pretty secretive."

"Yeah right," Kim mocked as she tried to corner Ron against the wall. "I've been entrusted secrets that can topple several countries, but I'm not allowed to know what errand my boyfriend has to do?"

Ron, backed up against the wall, ducked to dodge another punch, but he wasn't prepared for the simultaneous kick at his leg. "GHAAH! Okay, you win this one."

They stood for a moment, both panting heavily. Then Kim helped Ron up. "You've really got to learn to deal with several hits at the same time."

"Yeah, I know." Ron dusted himself off. "Good sparring though, but I wouldn't have minded if we delayed our discussion until breakfast. People might think we were having a fight."

Kim shrugged. "Let them think. I know you're trying to divert my attention from last night," she added with a smirk, "and during a match you're least prepared to dodge my questions."

Ron huffed. "I was too busy dodging your other attacks. Anyway, fine… yes, Sensei sent me on an errand, and it has to do with the MMP, but I can't tell anyone about the errand, because that would ruin the task I've been put to do. I can only tell you that it will take about a month."

Kim frowned. "Okay, you're off the hook for now. But once your mission is over, I want the full story."

Ron sighed. "_I just hope I get this mission done… at least Yori was more helpful than Sensei."_

* * *

"Stoppable-san," Yori called out as Ron walked to the gate of the Yamanouchi school.

"Hey Yori," Ron responded with a slight smile. "Sorry I don't have time to catch up, but I have an urgent task to do."

"I know," Yori said, "and I think Master Sensei is being somewhat unfair to you by making this task extra difficult."

Ron sighed. "I know, but what can I do?"

"This will help… a bit." The female ninja handed Ron a small crystal. "It is attuned to your powers, the crystal will glow red when you find or consider a candidate who is not appropriate. It will also show you a vision of their abuse of the Mystical Monkey Power."

"Thanks. So, I guess you know about the task?" Ron asked as he accepted the crystal.

Yori nodded. "It is part of my graduation study. Be mindful, the crystal will only work for about five or six times, seven if you're lucky. After that, you cannot use it to distinguish between good and bad carriers of the power."

"Thank you so much," Ron said gratefully as he put the crystal in his pocket. "I've got to run now. Good luck with your graduation project."

Yori giggled slightly as she watched Ron run off. "It was my pleasure, Stoppable-san."

* * *

"Ron, whatever Sensei told you to do, it's eating away at you," Kim said as she and Ron waited for their airplane to arrive. Even though Wade hadn't been able to set them up with one of their rides, he had at least gotten them business class seats, which Kim really appreciated. "You only ate five or six snacks since we arrived at the airport."

Ron sighed. "I know, I know, and I really wish I could tell you."

"Okay, at least tell me this, does this pose any danger to you?" Kim then asked. "Because if it does, we're heading right back to Yamanouchi and calling that mission off."

"It doesn't," Ron quickly replied. "And that's why it is so difficult; it can very well endanger someone else."

While Kim was relieved that Ron was in no danger, she could understand his trepidation.

She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Hey, I know you will make the right decision. And you know I'll be there for you."

Ron smiled weakly at that. "_It would be so easy to go back to Yamanouchi and… wait a minute, why didn't I ask Yori or one of the other ninjas to take the power?"_

In a reflex, he grabbed the crystal from his pocket and activated it with a tiny burst of monkey power.

It glowed red immediately, and a vision began playing before Ron's eyes. "_I am sorry, Stoppable-san. As Yamanouchi students we are not allowed to take the burden from the monkey master, we can only aid him in his quest."_

"Ron?" Kim asked as her boyfriend seemed completely phased out. "You okay? Our flight is boarding."

"_Aw man…" _Ron thought as he followed Kim into the plane. "_Oh well, it would have been too easy anyway. Too bad I lost a try on that one, only four or five to go."_

* * *

"Aw man," Ron muttered to himself as he paced around in his room. "Only two days to go, and only five more tries with the crystal… if I'm lucky. Who would be acceptable for the monkey powers?"

Then his phone rang. "What's up KP?" he asked as he saw the caller ID.

"We have a mission," Kim said. "Some new villain wannabe is setting up a mobile lair in the Northwest Territories and demanding that Canada hands them over to him."

"Okay…" Ron wasn't sure what to think of that. "What does he want to do with them?"

He could practically see his girlfriend shrug. "No idea, but GJ asked us to stop them… if you're up for it, with your other mission and all. I think I can handle it myself though. GJ already offered to send some of their more military agents to help out… and I heard Team Go is taking a vacation in Canada, so they might be of help as well."

"Of course, Hego!" Ron exclaimed. "Great idea, thank you so much."

"Uh, okay…" there was an awkward silence on Kim's side of the line, but Ron was too busy searching for the crystal to notice. "I'll see you in a day then."

"Will Hego be the right candidate?" Ron asked after he finally found the crystal; it had been in his other pants and suffered a ride in the washing machine. Ron hoped it was still working.

It was, and it glowed red immediately.

"Aw, why not?" Ron muttered, and he was rewarded with a new vision.

"_I'm sorry Ron," Hego said, glowing two shades of blue, "this power is clearly meant for a hero like me so I can fight evil even better. I'm sure you understand."_

Ron sighed as he put the crystal away. Only then he remembered Kim and the way he had treated her. "Oh no…" he ran to the phone, but it was silent, the connection long gone. He tried calling again, but got no connection "KP will be on the way to Canada already… some boyfriend I am."

He slumped down on his bed. "And it didn't even get me a good carrier for the monkey power."

The only thing he could do now was assemble something that explained how sorry he was when Kim came back from her mission.

* * *

When Kim returned the next morning by a tilt-rotor aircraft, she looked like she had had a wrestling match with Gill; she was completely covered with semi-dried mud and some sort of greenish slime.

Ron could only gape at her as the box of chocolates he had bought her dropped to the ground. "What happened?"

Kim sighed; she had hoped to sneak to the back of the house and hose most of the grime off with the garden house before taking a very long shower. It was still very early in the morning and she hadn't expected anyone to wait for her to return. "Hey Ron."

"What happened?" Ron asked again. "Did you… win?"

Kim grimaced. "Halfway there, we received word that Lieutenant Malevolent, as he called himself, had parked his mobile lair in a swamp. After that it was no longer an issue of stopping the bad guy, but rescuing him. The lair was already halfway down into the swamp by the time we got there."

"So you had to save the villain from drowning before he even did something to deserve the title," Ron concluded.

"I think the villain standards are getting lower," Kim commented wryly.

"But did you have to get down in the swap to rescue him?" Ron asked, gesturing at the mud that covered the redhead.

"Not only that," Kim said with a shudder, "he was very grateful we rescued him. Turns out he's a hugger… and he had been much deeper into the mud than we ever got."

"Ew," Ron couldn't suppress a shudder as well. "But they have showers in Canada, right?"

"Not at midnight, not near the swamp," Kim replied. "It was getting back like this or walking half a day to civilization. I was the first to get off the plane, the soldiers who helped were already arguing whether to commandeer the plane and fly it into a waterfall… the co-pilot was on their side."

Only then she noticed the chocolates. "Aw, that's so sweet… wait, you didn't even know what had happened."

"It's because I stood you up yesterday," Ron explained apologetically. "I was a bit too preoccupied with Sensei's task."

Kim smiled. "That's okay Ron, the mission was no big… except for the smelly part." She moved past her boyfriend. "Now if you excuse me, I want to see if dad still kept Jim and Tim's experiment that turned the garden hose into a water jet."

* * *

"Still no luck with your mission?" Kim asked later that day; she had finally managed to clean off and she and Ron were sitting in the living room, enjoying Ron's apology chocolates.

Ron sighed. "No… say, do you know some trustworthy people besides our direct family and friends?"

Kim frowned. "Okay… uhm, what about Dr. Freeman or Vivian Porter? They handled secret equipment pretty well… well, Vivian did, Dr. Freeman is a bit easily sidetracked."

"Maybe," Ron pondered.

"Does it have to be close by here?" Kim asked.

"No, but it would be preferable," Ron replied.

Kim tried to think of more people, but most of the trustworthy ones were already at least relatively close friends, so when Ron walked home he only had Dr. Porter to try on the crystal.

But it glowed red again, this time showing Ron a vision of him calling Vivian's house and getting the voicemail.

"_This is Vivian Porter. I'm on an expedition to the North Pole to study the northern lights. I will not be at home for the next three months. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when I get home."_

"I wasted a charge on _that_?" Ron cried at the crystal. "I could have found out that myself by calling her. I've only got two or three charges left, I can't afford these jokes."

"Stoppable-san," A voice next to Ron suddenly called.

With a scream, Ron dove to the side, only to see an image of Sensei hovering over the sidewalk. "Don't ever do that again!"

"I am sorry, Stoppable-san," Sensei said. "However, I felt that you should know that due to the time difference between Yamanouchi and Middleton you only have until sunrise of the day after tomorrow."

"And then what happens?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"I do not know," Sensei admitted. "That never happened before. Although I have the feeling the consequences will be dire."

"Great." Ron slumped down on the sidewalk. "So I only have a day and a half left… wait, it already has been two days since you told me this. That doesn't add up."

Sensei's image shrugged. "You crossed the International Date Line, that earned you some time, use it wisely." And then he disappeared again.

Ron sighed again as he got up. "I'm not sure if having these monkey powers is really worth all this trouble."

* * *

"Think Ron, think," Ron muttered to himself as he paced through his room once again. "Who is trustworthy, not too careless and generally acceptable for the Monkey Powers?"

He glared at the crystal. "Why can't you just give me a vision of who I should pick?"

He sighed, as he knew the answer very well. "Because that would render this task obsolete."

"Ron," his mother called from downstairs. "Shouldn't you get some sleep, you have an early shift at Smarty Mart, right?"

"I'll go to bed in a minute," Ron called back, but suddenly an idea formed in his mind.

He looked at the crystal again. "_Should I ask the crystal… maybe first try to figure it out myself, I can always ask to confirm later._"

Slightly more confident, Ron went to sleep, hoping his new choice would work out.

* * *

"Stoppable, you're early," Mr. Barkin commented with a suspicious glare.

Ron shrugged. "You know me, the early bird gets the worm and all that…"

"That's not like you at all," Middleton's vice principal and Smarty Mart's trusted employee raised his eyebrow. "What are you up to Stoppable?"

"Nothing," Ron quickly replied. "I would just like to catch up before we get to work."

Mr. Barkin frowned one more time, but then shrugged and looked at the clock again; his shift started at 6:30 sharp and he didn't want to start a second later. He would have started sooner, but new job regulations prohibited that, much to his annoyance.

"So…" Ron began as he sat down next to the large man. "What would you do if you got some great superpower?"

"You mean, what did I do," Mr. Barkin corrected his former student.

He grinned proudly at the blonde's surprised expression. "Yes, back in the day, when I was still in the military, we had some 'accidents.' Can't talk too much about it, classified, but I got my taste of superpowers."

He sighed as he thought back. "Glad I'm rid of them though. They're fun for a while, but it's going to get you in the end."

Before Ron could reply, the clock shifted to 6:30 and Mr. Barkin stood up to face the working day. "Come on Stoppable, don't be lazy. You got here early, make something of the day."

Ron was about to comment that he was also already getting up to get to work, and that it wasn't even 15 seconds into their shift, but Mr. Barkin had already entered the building.

"_It must be Mr. Barkin,"_ Ron pondered as he turned the crystal in his hands during a break. "_I may not like it, but he does things by the book, keeps his promises… if they are correctly formulated. And, most important, he isn't inclined to keep the powers."_

But it was always safe to check. So Ron posed the question to the crystal.

As per usual, it turned red.

"_Oh, no!" Mr. Barkin cried out. "You will not get me again with those powers. I will not go back to that place…" And then he jumped out the window and ran off._

Ron was so annoyed at that moment that he was temped to blow off steam by still posing the question to his former teacher.

* * *

After his Smarty Mart shift, Ron still had some time on his hands before Kim would be done with her shift at Club Banana. So he decided to take a light snack at Bueno Nacho.

"Problems?" Ned asked as he noticed Ron's smaller than usual order.

Ron nodded, but didn't go into it much further. "I just need to think for a bit, and I do that best with some proper food."

Ned shrugged and prepared Ron's order, after which the blonde sought out his and Kim's usual booth, even though it felt a bit empty without his girlfriend there as well.

As he toyed with his food, Ron watched as Ned helped some other costumers. Seemingly unfazed by their rude attitudes, he prepared their orders neatly and without nasty 'surprises.'

"_Maybe Ned would be a good choice," _Ron thought; Ned had managed Bueno Nacho extremely well for several years and had been a very faithful employee, not to mention that he had held on to Ron's multimillion-dollar check without taking anything from it – something no-one would have noticed given Ron's rate of spending the money.

"_It's worth a shot._" Ron picked up the crystal and asked it whether Ned would be appropriate.

For the first time since Ron had obtained the crystal, it behaved differently. It still glowed red, but the light was a lot less bright and it occasionally sputtered out.

It also took the vision a lot longer to appear; as if it were an old television that needed to warm up before it worked properly.

"_MWAHAHAHAHA! You all thought I was just a low ranking fast food employee you could step on, didn't you?" Ned gloated as he shot one blue ray after another into a panicking crowd. "Well, no more. Now I have the power, and you will do as I say. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

Ron stared in shock at the crystal, and then at Ned, who looked back at him in confusion.

Ron moved slowly out of his booth and then very quickly made a beeline for the exit.

* * *

"Hey Ron," Kim said as she met up with her boyfriend outside the Middleton Mall and gave him a quick kiss. "Had a good shift?"

Ron shrugged after returning the gesture. "The usual."

Kim chuckled. "Ready for some Bueno Nacho?"

"Uhm…" to Kim's surprise, Ron suddenly got very nervous. "How about we try Cow an' Chow for a change? Or ride to Upperton to the Bueno Nacho?"

"Weirder than usual," Kim remarked, but then she shrugged. "We could also get an ice cream at the stand in the mall, since you already got your fill of Bueno Nacho. You thought I wouldn't notice, didn't you?" She added with a smirk.

Relieved that Kim's wrong guess gave him an out, Ron quickly admitted, "Yeah, I was hungry. Ice cream sounds good though."

Kim shook her head as they walked to the ice cream stand. "Sometimes I wonder where you stash it all away."

* * *

Ron tossed and turned in his bed; he only had hours to spare and he couldn't for the life of him think of anyone who would fill the criteria. And the fact that the crystal was practically out of charge wasn't helping either.

Finally, unable to sleep anyway, Ron decided to use the last few hours until the deadline to walk around town in hope that his luck would flare up and he would find someone suitable.

But for the rest of the night he had no such luck. The sun was almost up and Ron knew he was down to only minutes.

But then, silhouetted against the rising sun, he saw a lone figure; a thin, feminine form with relatively short, light colored hair.

"Is this the one?" Ron asked the crystal as he recognized the figure. Even though he knew the crystal was already tested beyond its capacity, he hoped it would give him at least some insight.

No red glow flared up, but it didn't matter anyway; Ron had to go with the person in front of him or face whatever consequence was in stock for him for failing the task.

He waved as he ran toward her. "Hey…"

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, this looks like a nice spot to cut the chapter off. More should be up soon. Don't forget to read the other contest entries as well.


	2. The Wait

Thanks everyone for reviewing.

******Disclaimer:** Kim Possible and related are the property of Disney which, contrary to common belief, I do not own.

Special thanks to _Slipgate_ for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Wait**

"You look tired," Kim remarked as Ron nearly dipped his forehead into his breakfast for the second time in as many minutes.. "Haven't slept too well?"

"I don't think I have slept at all," Ron said; as per usual over the weekend, he had come over to the Possibles for his second breakfast, but he didn't seem awake enough to actually eat it. "At least I'm done with the task… for now."

"So, can you tell me what it was?" Kim asked.

Ron shrugged. "I guess so. Sensei told me to find a trustworthy and suitable person to take over my Mystical Monkey Powers for a month… and it couldn't have been someone I shared a bond with." He quickly added after a frown from his girlfriend.

"So that's what your questions were about," Kim said. "But what if they don't want to give the power back?"

Ron gulped. "Then they turn out like Monkey Fist."

"WHAT?" Kim demanded. "What, does Sensei think, that he can just…"

"KP!" Ron interrupted Kim's rant. "It's something all monkey masters before me had to do as well. And they always made the right choice. No one ever turned into a statue from this task."

Kim settled down again, but it was clear she wasn't happy. "So, who did you give it to?"

"I'm sorry KP, I can't tell you," Ron tried to explain. "If they don't give the power back voluntarily, it doesn't work. So the fewer know about it, the better."

Kim sighed. "Fine." Then she decided to change the subject a bit. "Are you feeling any different now, without the MMP?"

"Not really," Ron said. "I wasn't that much in touch with it. I just hope that…" he caught himself just in time. "Whoever I gave the power will use it responsibly."

* * *

"Lord Monkey Fist," The Yono called, mocking his newest servant.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the spirit form of Monkey Fist responded with a sigh. "What do you want now?"

The monkey-like creature grinned; he really enjoyed torturing his followers. Practically all of them had been unaware that following the path of The Yono consisted of a lot of menial work… if one could even call it that for a spirit. "Are you saying you are not satisfied with the current job I've given you? You can always return to cleaning the temple."

Monkey Fist groaned, his latest 'promotion' – creating a gust with his corporeal form by running around to cool his master – wasn't that great, but trying to pick up dust that slowly fell through your hands as you moved it was horrible; the dust almost settled faster in the Temple of The Yono than Monkey Fist had been able to clean.

"No master, I chose to follow your path."

"Good." Having had his fun, The Yono turned more serious. "The Monkey Master has taken the next step in his ascent to true mastery of the Monkey Powers. He has transferred his power to a willing carrier."

Monkey Fist perked up, in his free time he had read about this in the books in the temple of The Yono – those books were among the few things that did respond to his touch – and he knew that both the Monkey Master and the power were weak now.

"You have until the end of the month to grab the power," The Yono continued. "If you succeed, you will become a true student. You will have your real body back for the time being."

The Yono formed a portal and Monkey Fist eagerly jumped through. As his servant disappeared, the dark creature grinned. "But all those before you failed horribly."

Chuckling to himself, The Yono summoned a translucent orb so he could follow his apprentice's exploits. "This is always very entertaining… at least more so than the junk they sell for television these days."

* * *

"Who is it now?" Dr. Drakken, the former villain and current co-savior of the planet, asked after another knock on the door of his lair.

He opened the door to see DNAmy, and she looked very distressed.

"Amy? What are you doing here?" the blue-skinned man asked.

"It's Monkey Fist," the heavyset woman said. "He got up and left. You were the only one I could think of going to."

"I told you she'd lose it someday," Shego remarked from behind Drakken.

Amy glared at the green-skinned ex-villainess. "I know he was a statue, thank you very much. This morning he returned to his old self and walked out, muttering something about taking the monkey powers… I hadn't even gotten the chance to kiss him goodbye."

Shego shuddered and actually felt pity for the monkey-crazed villain; Monkey Fist just couldn't get a break. "So, what do you want from us?"

DNAmy frowned. "I hadn't yet thought of that… I just need some comfort, can I come in?"

Before Drakken or Shego could say anything, Amy made her way past them and slumped down on the couch. "Thank you Dr. Drakken. At least I know that I have one place to seek comfort."

Shego glowered at the heavyset woman who started distractedly eating some of the snacks Shego and Drakken had been about to enjoy, then the green-skinned woman's gaze moved to Drakken, who shrank down under her glare.

"Uhm, Amy…" the Doctor began. "There's something you might need to know about me and Shego."

* * *

"And you are sure you saw Monkey Fist?" Kim asked the museum curator; Team Possible had received a call from the New Jersey Museum of Simian Art – a place Ron still dreaded to go – saying that several monkey ninjas had broken in.

"Absolutely certain," the man said. "I've seen him before and I will always recognize a figure like that."

"Only thing is, last time we checked, Monkey Fist was a statue," Ron objected.

"Maybe no more," Kim responded as she picked up some monkey hairs and showed them to her boyfriend.

Rufus jumped out of Ron's pocket and briefly sniffed the hairs. "Uh-uh. Monkey Fist."

"Maybe it had something to do with me giving away my power," Ron pondered, but before they could think more on that the lights went off.

Immediately, Kim took a defensive position.

"You would be quite right," A shadow in front of the window remarked. "And without your monkey powers, you are defenseless against me."

"As if," Kim sneered. "We beat you many times before, monkey powers or not."

Monkey Fist just responded in his usual way. "Monkey ninjas, attack!"

The few monkey ninjas that the simian villain had managed to find since his return quickly attacked the teens. But the animals were very much out of shape while Kim and Ron had kept up their training.

A very brief, one-sided fight later all monkeys ran out of the museum, leaving their master to fight Team Possible alone.

Monkey Fist frowned. "I guess I will have to take care of you later… after I take the Monkey Power. Ta."

Before they could react, the former English lord drove the last nail out of a long carpet that Kim and Ron were standing on, causing the stiff material to roll up, enveloping the surprised teens.

Kim and Ron could only watch as Monkey Fist walked away while they struggled to get out of the carpet.

"Careful," the curator urged as he helped push the fabric back to its rolled-out state. "This carpet is very expensive and possibly the only one of its kind."

"Great," Kim muttered after they finally got free; Monkey Fist was already long gone.

Ron had different worries though. "Oh no, he's going after Justine…"

* * *

Maybe it was because he was following the path of The Yono, or maybe it had another reason, but Monkey Fist knew exactly where the Monkey Power resided. And after arriving in Middleton, it took him only a moment to locate the correct house.

"Well Mr. or Mrs.," he looked at the nameplate at the front door, "Flanner. It seems you will meet an untimely end."

With that, he passed the door and broke in through one of the windows.

* * *

"You gave the Monkey Power to Justine?" Kim asked, dumbfounded, as the teens hurried back to Middleton.

"She was my last shot," Ron tried to explain. "Besides, she's least likely to want to hold on to it, right? I mean, after that portal thingy you two did for a science project turned out to work, she pretty much abandoned it in search of new inventions."

"I guess," Kim muttered. "But she's, like, deep into science. What does she even think about the MMP?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess that once there was evidence that it worked, there was no reason not to believe in the MMP."

"Fair point," Kim admitted. "But we really have to catch Monkey Fist before he attacks her. Justine is no fighter, and who knows what he will do to her."

* * *

It was easy for Monkey Fist to figure out where the carrier of the Monkey Power was holding out as there was only one light on in the house.

The villain was almost disappointed when he saw the thin young woman who was working on her computer. He had at least expected Stoppable to find a somewhat more proper person to guard the power.

"_Oh well, this will only make things easier._" The semi-simian thought as he entered the room.

Sensing someone else in the room besides her, Justine turned around. "Who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare," Monkey Fist replied with a grin.

The blond woman frowned, clearly unimpressed. "The one where I have to return all my scientific awards?"

Monkey Fist was taken aback a little; he had grown quite used to Ron's usual panic about anything monkey-related. "You have the Monkey Powers, and I'm intending on taking them."

"Ah." Justine still showed none of the fear that Monkey Fist had hoped to inspire in the girl. "And what process are you proposing will accomplish that?"

The villain's grin returned. "That will be easy. Once there is no carrier for the Monkey Power anymore, it will return back to its rightful owner."

"And that will be Stoppable, correct?" Justine said as she gestured at her computer screen, which showed a good amount of research that had been performed on the MMP.

"We'll see about that," Monkey Fist growled as he attacked.

* * *

"Hurry up!" Kim urged as she and Ron sprinted through Middleton. Just moments ago they had parachuted down, but they knew Monkey Fist was still slightly ahead as they had seen his plane when they passed over the Middleton airport.

"I'm trying," Ron gasped as he fumbled with his parachute straps; ever since they had landed he had been unable to make the parachute let him go, and the big piece of cloth was dragging him down a lot.

Kim turned around and quickly helped Ron out of his parachute. "Come on, we have to stop Monkey Fist."

But when they arrived at Justine's home, they immediately noticed the broken window. "Oh no…"

"Justine?" Kim called, fearing the worst.

Right then, Monkey Fist came flying out of the open second floor window, enveloped in what appeared to be a huge fist made out of bluish light. And with a neat arc he landed in a couple of bushes.

Moments later, Justine peered out of the window. "So it _does_ work… Interesting." Then she noticed the people in the front yard. "Hey Kim," she greeted the redhead with a quick wave. "Stoppable," she added with a curt nod at Ron.

"Hey Justine," Kim replied. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Justine asked. Then she looked at Monkey Fist, who had managed to untangle himself from the bushes and quickly ran off. "Oh, that… More of a nuisance than a threat actually."

"So… you… already have control of the Monkey Power?" Ron asked wide-eyed. "It took me more than a year just to get a tiny spark out of it."

Justine smirked arrogantly, bringing Kim back to their first days of cooperating in their science project. Of course, the young genius' pride was completely backed up by her abilities, but it still stung a bit.

"Shouldn't we chase Monkey Fist?" The redhead asked to change the subject.

Justine shrugged. "I doubt he will try this again. Oh, Kim, could you come up? I'd like to ask you a favor."

* * *

"What did she want? You didn't tell her anything about the effect of keeping the power, right? Do you think she's better at handling the Monkey Power than I am?"

Kim chuckled at her boyfriend's near panic. "Relax Ron. Justine is doing some research on the MMP, studying stuff is just part of what she does. And don't worry, I told you I can keep a secret." She then grinned at Ron. "As for the last part, she _is_ a lot more focused than you are, that might play a huge role."

Ron seemed at least a bit reassured. "Okay then… Wait, what did she ask from you?"

Kim frowned thoughtfully. "Well…"

* * *

"Kim, you are one of the smartest people I know," Justine began after Kim had entered her room.

Kim smiled proudly. "Thanks, but I'm not nearly as smart as you."

Justine shrugged. "Obviously." Ignoring Kim's somewhat offended cry "Hey!" she continued. "But I have also read your parents' publications, and I even heard your brothers are trying to get some of their work published. And I get the feeling people might start to think that you are not really carrying the Possible legacy."

Kim worked her jaw a moment, unable to come up with a reply. "Yeah, but…"

The blond girl smiled slightly as she reeled Kim in. "And didn't you want to go for a study in the biological area?"

"I-I do," Kim stammered, "but…"

"If you really want to make it there, you should have some publications of your own," Justine said. "So, are you willing to help me on this study into bio-magical applications?"

"Well, I…"

"Kim, you are one of the very few people who understood my work on the Kinematic Continuum Disruptor, and you managed to figure it out in under a week," Justine pressed. "We don't have much time to work out the Mystical Monkey Power, as your boyfriend calls it. So I can really use the backup. We'll publish it as a co-authorship. I don't want to brag, but my name in there will certainly give you a boost, even though my expertise is more in energy research."

"But why not ask Ron?" Kim asked. "He is the local expert on Monkey Power."

"No offense, but Stoppable is a bit of a slacker," Justine replied. "You should know that. You worked with him on science projects."

Seeing that Kim was still not completely convinced, Justine decided to play her final card. "Well, if you feel you're not up for it…"

"I didn't say that," Kim quickly objected. "But, uhm… what exactly are you expecting from me?"

Justine grinned inwardly; she knew she had Kim now. "You're an amazing data cruncher; you got my research down within a week, and there is quite a pile to work through here. Maybe you can ask your friend Wade to find even more information. I just need the data ordered so we can make a proper study."

Kim sighed; she knew when she was beaten. And besides, she was actually getting interested. And getting a publication in before her brothers did sound appealing. "Will the journals accept studies of magic though? The respectable journals, I mean."

Justine shrugged. "People used to think that electricity was magic. The MMP is a form of telekinetic energy with great potential once we figure out how to draw on it properly. If we defend that well, we can get into any journal."

* * *

"She called me a slacker?" Ron asked. "Well, that's just… just… well, I guess it's pretty just. So, you are actually going to do this?"

"Yeah, I mean, mission-wise it's been pretty slow since the invasion and with the vacation and all I kinda miss working toward a goal," Kim admitted.

"In other words, you are starting to miss the work pressure of school?" Ron asked, stupefied. "And people say I'm the weird one."

"Hey! I'd just like to be able to do something," Kim objected. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"It _is_ during the vacation," Ron pointed out. "Where's your sense of marination?"

Kim smirked. "You relax your way, I relax mine. Come on, let's go home, we might have time for some mutual enjoyment."

"Booyah!"

* * *

Monkey Fist and his monkey ninjas hid in a more shadowy part of Middleton Park. This time they would beat that annoying girl and take the power from her. At least Kim Possible wasn't joining her at the moment.

With a feral cry, the group jumped out of the shadows and ambushed Justine. Only to bounce back on an energy shield that surrounded the teen.

"I wish you would stop doing that," Justine said, "I can't report any human studies without an Independent Ethics Committee approval and I can't get that on such a short notice."

Then she looked at the monkeys, who were still dazed from hitting the barrier. "Besides, the ASPCA might not be too happy about this either."

As she walked away, Justine took out her cell phone and called Kim. "Could you tell Wade that he was right? No, I'm okay… yeah, he bounced right off… yes, I'm concerned about the human study issues as well… well, he attacked me… just call it test objects hitting the barrier, that should be fine."

Monkey Fist felt that he had never been insulted more. And the worst part was that he couldn't do a thing about it, not as long as Justine kept that shield up.

* * *

"KP, are you ready to watch the 'Bricks of Fury' DVD?" Ron asked as he entered Kim's room. "It has an entire section of deleted bricks."

"Ron, we had agreed to watch that movie yesterday," Kim replied. "But you suddenly had to postpone to play 'Bricks of Fury, the game' against Rufus. The whole night."

"Yeah, but I couldn't let Rufus win," Ron defended himself, "or I had to serve him cheese snacks for the entire week."

Kim rolled her eyes. "And it only resulted in you losing by a greater margin. Anyway, Justine and I are hitting some major breakthroughs, and I really want to work this out tonight."

Ron sighed. "Fine, but can I watch it, our TV broke."

Kim smirked. "So that's the reason. It's fine with me; mom, dad and the tweebs are out anyway. Just keep the volume to reasonable levels, okay?" Then she shot her boyfriend an amorous smile. "And writing out this stuff shouldn't take me too long…"

Ron grinned back. "Gotcha." And with a soft 'Booyah!' he made his way downstairs.

* * *

However, Ron quickly grew bored; he already knew the movie pretty well, and the deleted scenes were nice, but not worth re-watching. And there wasn't much on television either.

So he decided to play a little game on Kim. But since he knew that she wouldn't take kindly to his jokes while she was trying to do some work, he first prepared a peace offering.

After he finished with that, Ron walked to the base of the stairs and took a deep breath.

"KP!" he called in a frightened voice.

Moments later, Kim came running down the stairs. "What's the sitch?"

"I'm completely out of Kimshine," Ron said innocently. "I made snacks!" he quickly added after a less than amused glare from his girlfriend.

Kim accepted the snacks, but her frown remained. "Look Ron, I'm almost done. But I really want to finish this."

"I'm sorry KP," Ron meekly replied. "I just got really bored."

"You could always help me," Kim suggested.

"Okay, not _that_ bored."

Kim chuckled. "Just hold out a little longer, okay?" She gave Ron a quick peck on his cheek and then she turned around and walked upstairs again, taking the plate of snacks with her.

"Aw man, I'd meant for us to share those…"

* * *

Waiting without anything to do turned out to appear very long, and Ron wasn't the most patient person in the world. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Bored, huh?"

Ron nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Shego's voice right behind him. He jumped away and landed in something resembling a defensive position while he faced the villainess. His panicked mind wondered, "_Villainess? Ex-villainess? Did they announce they quit villainy?_"

"Watch it Shego, you don't want to mess with the Monkey Master." he threatened the grinning woman.

Just then, Kim called downstairs. "Ron, when you handed over the MMP, was that instantly or more like a flow?"

Shego's grin widened as Ron's pose crumbled.

"K-KP, help!"

"Ron, I'm still working. If you'd stop playing these games I could have been ready by now."

"Cried wolf one too many times?" Shego asked as she approached Ron, making sure that he couldn't run up the stairs to get backup from Kim.

"W-what do you want Shego?" Ron asked; the green-skinned woman didn't look too happy, despite her predatory grin.

"Come with me, before Possible starts to suspect something and comes downstairs, forcing me to hurt you."

"Who says you won't hurt me now?" Ron asked nervously.

"I will hurt you if you don't come with me," Shego snapped and lit her hands with green fire. "What will it be?"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Ron asked as he and Shego appeared to fly in circles above Middleton in one of Drakken's hovercars.

"Nowhere," Shego replied. "We just need to talk."

"We could have done that on the ground, you know," Ron objected.

"On the ground, Kimmie would have tried to save you," the green-skinned woman pointed out. "And it's pretty hard to reason while fighting for your life, despite how much I like kicking her butt."

Ron decided against pointing out that on average, Kim came out as the winner. At least, on the fights that weren't interrupted by exploding lairs or interventions by escape vehicles. He was on his own in a hovercraft with Shego after all, and he wanted to come out of this one alive.

"So, what's on your mind?"

"DNAmy has taken over our lair… and our lives," Shego growled after a moment. "Apparently, Monkey Fist is on the loose again and he has abandoned her. And now she is in our lair, crying about her little drama and making our lives miserable."

"Well, it wouldn't be too hard to chase her out, would it?" Ron asked.

Shego sighed. "She came back after the first two shots, and then Dr. D took pity on her and forbade me to do that again."

Ron was surprised that Shego let Drakken tell her what and what not to do. Maybe their little display during the ceremony after stopping the alien invasion had meant something after all.

"So, how did you get out?"

"I'm supposed to buy snacks," Shego replied sheepishly. "If you tell anyone, I'll make you into one."

"Your secret is safe with me," Ron hastened to say. "So, what do you want me for?"

"You know more about Monkey Fist than we do," the former villainess said. "Just catch him or whatever and hand him over to DNAmy… in flesh or in stone, I don't care. Just to get her out of our hair."

* * *

"I hope the wait wasn't too long," Kim said.

Since Ron had been dropped off by Shego mere moments ago he didn't feel like disagreeing. "Nah, I managed to keep it together. I mean, there was a reward in it."

Kim grinned. "True that. And it will still be some time before mom and dad come home…"

* * *

"This data looks great," Justine said as she looked through the draft version she and Kim had been writing.

"It does," Kim agreed. "By the way, Ron made a great suggestion yesterday, right after… well, he made a great suggestion yesterday."

"Tell me," Justine asked, ignoring Kim's near slip of the tongue.

"You know that somehow, Monkey Fist always manages to locate you, right? Well, Ron said we should look at Monkey Fist's ability to locate the MMP, or maybe his attraction to it."

"That sounds interesting," Justine admitted. "And since he tries to attack me almost every other day, it shouldn't be too hard to catch him and get some information."

Kim didn't say she had originally objected to capturing Monkey Fist. She had pointed it out to Ron, but he had replied that Monkey Fist still needed to go to prison for breaking into Justine's home, not to mention his series of attacks on her. "Right, so let's set up a plan."

* * *

Monkey Fist had once again taken position in the Middleton Park. Even though his monkey ninjas had abandoned him, he was sure that this time he would get the power.

That annoying brainiac wasn't the only one who had done research on the MMP, and Monkey Fist was still years ahead of her.

Justine casually walked through the park on her daily route – one of the things her parents insisted on to make sure she got some daily fresh air – apparently unaware of what was going to happen.

The hunter looked at the prey, this was going to be easier than expected.

Monkey Fist crouched lower, a small amulet clutched between his fingers.

It was a matter of mere moments now.

And then the attack came.

Monkey Fist rolled away just in time to prevent Kim from landing on his back. "Nice try Possible, but it takes more than that to catch me by surprise."

He was hardly finished when Ron shot him with a web gun.

As Monkey Fist struggled against the net that enveloped him, Justine walked over to the trio. She picked up the amulet that Monkey Fist dropped. "A monkey howler? You do know that those only work in combination with the entire ritual, right?"

Ron huffed exaggerated. "Even I knew that."

Monkey Fist only growled in response.

"Anyway, could you quickly figure out how Monkey Fist feels the MMP?" Ron then asked.

Kim frowned. "Why?"

Ron tugged at his collar. "Well, let's say I made a little deal with a certain woman…"

"That's right," Shego said as she deftly landed the hover car next to the group. "Great work Stoppable."

Monkey Fist's eyes grew wide when he saw who else was in the hover car. "Oh no…"

"Monteykins!" Amy cried happily. "I missed you."

"Yono, please take me back," The simian villain whispered, but all he heard in his head was cruel laughter.

* * *

Eventually it turned out that DNAmy and Justine got along very well, and their shared interest in science, the borders of physics, and Monkey Fist – although the latter for different reasons – made for a good conversation.

Feeling a bit redundant, both couples left to leave the scientists talking and Monkey Fist struggling to get out of the nearly indestructible net.

"You struck a deal with Shego?" Kim asked after Ron explained everything.

"Well, you weren't helping me," Ron pointed out. "What else could I do?"

Kim smirked. "Not cry wolf too many times?"

"You know, Shego said the same thing," Ron muttered.

"I do get it though," Kim said. "I wouldn't want Amy to ruin our together time either."

"I bet Monkey Fist wouldn't mind his and Amy's together time being disrupted though," Ron joked.

"He actually preferred turning back to stone over Amy," Kim pointed out. "That does say something."

"Well, I do hope Amy and Justine don't hit it off too well," Ron said. "Or Justine will get her into the MMP as well."

* * *

"Ron, will you stop fretting about it? Justine will return the MMP to you," Kim said as Ron couldn't stop pacing around and it was freaking her out. "She said she's almost done with the report and there are still several days left."

"Yes! And then?" Ron objected. "There is surely more to research, and Justine isn't one to give up on that. And it will turn her to stone… and it's all my fault."

Kim pulled him next to her on the couch. "Ron, listen: Justine will give you the Monkey Powers back. She knows she was only in for it for a month, in fact she wanted us to work quickly since we only had a month, and she doesn't break promises like that."

However, two days later, Justine arrived at the Possible residence during breakfast. "Great news, the report is under review, and things look good."

"That's great," Kim said with a smile. Then she shot Ron a wink. "And you thought there would be a problem."

"And even better news," Justine continued. "The IEC approved for small-scale human testing. Our next research will really skyrocket."

Ron could only stare in shock at his former classmate.

* * *

**A/N:** Somehow, I really enjoy ending this story in cliffhangers. The last chapter should be up soon. Reviews are always appreciated, and don't forget to read the other stories in Whitem's contest.


	3. The Report

Thanks everyone for reviewing. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well

******Disclaimer:** Kim Possible and related are the property of Disney which, contrary to common belief, I do not own.

Special thanks to _Slipgate_ for beta-reading.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Report**

"_She's going to keep the power, and I can't say anything. Justine will turn into stone… and it's all my fault."_ These thought rushed through Ron's mind after Justine's announcement.

He never noticed Kim and Justine discussing the new development; all he could think about was how he had failed as the Monkey Master.

"Ron? Ron!" Ron finally paid attention when Kim started snapping her fingers right in front of him. "You've been zoning out for about five minutes. Did you hear anything we just said to you?"

Ron sighed. "I heard enough. And I know I can't stop you. You do what you think is best."

Justine frowned in confusion. "It's not that bad. If you want, we can set up something and pay you for your efforts."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, that will make things better."

Kim was the first to spot the miscommunication. "Justine, maybe you better first give him his power back, and then we'll discuss the other experiments with Ron."

"Sure," Justine still looked very confused. "But I can set up the recording devices first, right? I really want to see if the transfer can be measured."

Ron stared at the blond girl, and then at Kim. "You-you can't order her to give the power back…"

Justine frowned again. "I told him I'd give the power back a couple of minutes ago, didn't I? See what I meant with the focusing issues?"

As Justine walked off to get her recording device, Ron stared at Kim. "What just happened?"

Kim smirked. "Justine wants to continue doing experiments on the MMP, and since you will be getting the power back, she wants do run some tests on you."

"Ah, now I get it." Ron seemed very relieved… for a moment. "Wait, what kind of tests… I'm not sure if I wanted to be a test subject."

Kim chuckled. "Well, you kind of agreed already. You don't want to disappoint Justine now, do you?"

* * *

"You have finished your task properly, Stoppable-san," Sensei said when Ron arrived at Yamanouchi some time later. "You are one step closer to complete mastery of the Monkey Powers."

Ron smiled, happy that this task was over, even though he still had to deal with some of the after-effects. "Thank you Sensei. I've had my doubts over the course of this mission, but it all turned out well."

"And did the one you gave the power also benefit?" Sensei then asked.

Ron grinned. "I'd say so." And he handed Sensei a sheet of paper.

* * *

_Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 1, 033204, 2006._

**Characterization of the energy behind proclaimed magical powers and the impact on current energy demand.**

_**Justine Flanner* and Kimberly A. Possible**_

_Independent research group, in cooperation with Department of Energy Research and Progression, Middleton Science Center, Middleton, Colorado._

(Received 13 September 2006, accepted 3 October 2006)

ABSTRACT: In this study, the characteristics of a mind-operated dimensional energy gate are reviewed. Energy gates, or trans-dimensional rifts have been studied before by Flanner _et al._ [1] providing more insight into the possibility of using sources from outside of the solar system to answer energy demand.  
This particular energy gate has ancient roots in human civilization and is often associated with the name Mystical Monkey Power, as discovered by Fiske _et al_. [2]  
It was found that the energy release of the gate is caused by increased neurological activity and can be directed to some level by mental commands, most likely similar to neuro-controlled devices like those recently presented by Emotiv Systems. Energy release in the form of a shield-like dome was observed as well as extensions of human appendages with similar levels of motor control, and visible and invisible shock waves.  
During this study, the aforementioned forms of energy release have been characterized by strength, accuracy and control. Also, attempts have been made to use electronics to simulate the neurological activity.

* * *

Sensei frowned. "What about the rest of the paper?" he asked.

Ron shrugged. "It's behind a pay wall, and Justine convinced KP not to hand out any copies until the draft was accepted."

The headmaster of Yamanouchi looked again at the paper. "It was accepted a week ago," he commented dryly.

"Ah, yes…" Ron rubbed his neck. "Maybe I kinda forgot to print out the entire paper before I left. I'm sure Kim or Justine will be happy to send you a copy though."

Sensei nodded. "Yes, I am very curious how much mystery they managed to remove from the Mystical Monkey Powers."

Ron wasn't entirely sure whether Sensei was upset or not; it was always hard to tell what went on behind that beard. "So… we're okay?"

"You did what was asked of you," Sensei responded vaguely. "Why would more be expected from you?"

"But… we're good, right?"

"Once a man has crossed a river, he can never cross the same river again, because the river has changed and he has changed."

"_Why? Why does he always do that to me?_" Ron groaned inwardly; he would be mulling over that one the entire flight home. "Oh, by the way, there is one other thing Justine asked me to do."

Sensei raised an eyebrow.

"She wants to dig a little deeper into the MMP, and she asked if I would be willing to participate in some tests. MRI, reflex… you know…I hope that's okay?"

"Sometimes, merely by asking the question, the answer presents itself to you."

"Okay… thanks, I guess," Ron replied sheepishly. "Well, uhm… I have to head back if I want to catch my plane. So, uh… until next time."

Sensei smirked as Ron walked off. "_I have to remember to thank Yori for that 'Wise Word of the Day' calendar. I've forgotten how much fun this was."_ Then he turned around. It had been a while since Yamanouchi had turned its attention to the scientific world. Maybe it was time to pay it a visit again.

* * *

"Interesting stuff," The Yono commented after reading the report. "Once again shows that it pays to keep one's subscriptions to the scientific journals, just like it used to pay to keep updated on scrolls of dangerous knowledge."

The creature approvingly looked at the huge collection of data in his temple, extending far beyond the ancient scrolls that Monkey Fist used to read through. "Don't you agree, Lord Fiske?"

Monkey Fist only growled as he worked hard to catch up with the collection of dust that had settled on the piles and piles of writings during the past month. Now, back in the temple of The Yono, he wasn't so sure whether Amy was really that bad.

END

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope you enjoyed this twist (the ones writing for scientific papers maybe more than the others). Don't forget to read the other contest entries, and don't forget to vote.


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